The present invention relates to an improved medical tube holder and more particularly to a device for securing endotracheal or nasotracheal tubing to facilitate the respiratory function of a patient. The present invention can also find its use as a holder for a drainage tube which is often inserted into an incision made in a patient's skin and tissue during surgeries.
It is a conventional practice to secure such medical tubes by an adhesive tape which is wrapped around the tubing and then pressed to adhere to the skin of the patient. However, such approach is not comfortable for the patient, since removal of the adhesive tape often causes irritation and even, in severe cases, infection of the area, wherein the adhesive tape was secured.
To solve this problem, a number of medical tube holders have been suggested. For example, one type of such holders is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,463 issued Mar. 20, 1984 to Bernard Ackerman. The device of '463 patent provides for the use of a thin-walled elastomeric tubing having a noose formed in the tubing by passing a portion of the tubing through a ring of thick-walled tubular section. The tubing is extended about the head of the patient and secured on the back of the neck by a clamp inserted into one end of the tubing. The endotracheal tube is forced through the noose and inserted into the patient's body cavity.
However, the hook and loop attachment of the opposite ends of the tubing may not feel comfortable to the patient who is resting on his back and experiencing the pressure of the bulky connection in the back of the head.
The present invention contemplates provision of an inexpensive, easy to use, comfortable medical tube holder which is easily adjusted and secured in relation to the patient's body.